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In classical mechanics, a gravitational field is a physical quantity. [5] A gravitational field can be defined using Newton's law of universal gravitation.Determined in this way, the gravitational field g around a single particle of mass M is a vector field consisting at every point of a vector pointing directly towards the particle.
The publication of the law has become known as the "first great unification", as it marked the unification of the previously described phenomena of gravity on Earth with known astronomical behaviors. [1] [2] [3] This is a general physical law derived from empirical observations by what Isaac Newton called inductive reasoning. [4]
Size of Jupiter compared to Earth and Earth's Moon Jupiter is about ten times larger than Earth ( 11.209 R 🜨 ) and smaller than the Sun ( 0.102 76 R ☉ ). Jupiter's mass is 318 times that of Earth; [ 2 ] 2.5 times that of all the other planets in the Solar System combined.
^ Surface gravity derived from the mass m, the gravitational constant G and the radius r: Gm/r 2. ^ Escape velocity derived from the mass m, the gravitational constant G and the radius r: √ (2Gm)/r. ^ Orbital speed is calculated using the mean orbital radius and the orbital period, assuming a circular orbit. ^ Assuming a density of 2.0
Eccentricity varies primarily due to the gravitational pull of Jupiter and Saturn. The semi-major axis of the orbital ellipse, however, remains unchanged; according to perturbation theory , which computes the evolution of the orbit, the semi-major axis is invariant .
Depiction of asteroid Pallas' 18:7 near resonance with Jupiter in a rotating frame (click for animation). Jupiter (pink loop at upper left) is held nearly stationary. The shift in Pallas' orbital alignment relative to Jupiter increases steadily over time; it never reverses course (i.e., there is no libration).
For astronomical bodies other than Earth, and for short distances of fall at other than "ground" level, g in the above equations may be replaced by (+) where G is the gravitational constant, M is the mass of the astronomical body, m is the mass of the falling body, and r is the radius from the falling object to the center of the astronomical body.
At one point, the two may fall into sync, at which time Jupiter's constant gravitational tugs could accumulate and pull Mercury off course, with 1–2% probability, 3–4 billion years into the future. This could eject it from the Solar System altogether [1] or send it on a collision course with Venus, the Sun, or Earth. [11]